The Irony

Prepare your minds . . . . .

Phil Mickelson's win drought lasted 1,687 days.

Sunday at Bay Hill will be 1,687 days since Tiger Woods' last victory.

(Facebook.com)

Some Hallowed Golf Records

10 Most Unbreakable PGA Records

1. Most Major Championship Victories - Jack Nicklaus (18)

In a world where the general philosophy seems to be "championship or bust", Nicklaus is the king. With 18 majors, he leads Tiger Woods by four, and Phil Mickelson by 13. The only players who seem to have a chance, outside of a resurgence by Woods, are Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth who have four and two respectively. While those two are still very young, especially Spieth, Nicklaus' record seems like it won't be touched for years, if ever.
 

6. Most Consecutive Tournaments Without A Missed Cut - Tiger Woods (142)

This is the Dimaggio-hit-record of golf streaks. Woods made the cut in every PGA tournament he entered from February of 1998 to May of 2005. This Herculean effort speaks to the dominance Woods showed over that era and has zero chance of being broken.

Complete list (Scout.com)

Old School Tough Love Using A New School Metaphor

Rickie Fowler’s Legendary Golf Coach Sternly Warned Him Against Becoming A Kardashian 

Harmon, who is best known for having been Tiger Woods’ golf coach from 1993 to 2004, told his number 8 ranked golfer in the world to keep his eye on the prize.

He told Sky Sports: “We had a big conversation at the end of the year last year and he didn’t like it. I said ‘you gotta decide are you going to be a Kardashian or are you going to be a golf pro? You’re the king of social media, you’re all over these snap chats and all these things.

“You need to reach down and grab your ears and get your head out of your you know what and get back to work, get your body in shape.

“He’s got a trainer he works out tremendously with and he’s worked unbelievable with his golf swing. He’s gone back to winning tournaments again – get rid of those Kardashians.
“The young man is ready to go. Whether it happens today or not, he’s going to win some majors but this would be a good time to start.”

Harmon’s sternness with Fowler may be in response to Rickie spending time with his now official girlfriend, smoking hot pole vaulter Allison Stokke.

(BroBible.com)

Still A Long Way To Go To Get Out Of The Foxhole

U.S. Open TV analysis: Fox’s technology outpaces its announcers

Where Fox still has work to do is with its announcers, which tend to be overexposed during long days, such as the opening rounds of the U.S. Open. Fortunately, there’s a solution, which I’m here to offer.

• One of Fox’s best moments Friday was a terrific little feature in which Zach Reineking, Erin Hills’ director of course operations, explained how the course barters hay for furniture with the local Amish community. The feature was short, it wasn’t intrusive, and it told me something interesting that I didn’t know about the club.

• How long is Fox going to continue the failed Holly Sonders Experiment? Last year I wrote that when Fox anchors say, “Let’s go down to Holly,” my thought is, “Let’s not.”

Bottom line: she stinks on TV. I don’t question Sonders’ golf knowledge. She played Division 1 college golf, so she knows the game. She’s just not cut out for the job.

Sonders was fine five years ago in her very limited role on Golf Channel’s “Morning Drive,” but she’s asked to do far too much at Fox. I think a friend had it right when he said Sonders tries too hard to be a personality (“golf’s Vanna White” was his description). But she’s not a personality. She lacks an easy manner on camera, she’s not spontaneous, and she’s not amusing.

She also doesn’t seem particularly competent. On Friday, in a segment with architect Gil Hanse, Sonders couldn’t bring up a graphic of No. 14. “I have never been friends with this thing,” Sonders said of the machine. “Three years now and I still can’t get it figured out.”

Here’s my crazy, completely off-the-wall suggestion: Remove Holly and put someone in that job who can call up the proper graphic.

(GolfWeek.com)

Old Man Par Continues To Remain Strong

What was even par worth on the PGA Tour last season?

So how did he fare in this most recent season, aiming at the middle of greens, settling for two putts and putting his ridiculous short game on display?

Tom Par made 13 cuts in 32 starts on the PGA Tour in 2015-16. He earned $438,481 and 330 FedEx Cup points, which left him 120 points short of the 125th spot, qualifying for the playoffs and retaining fully exempt status. He finished 148th on the final FedEx list to land in the 126-150 category, maintain Tour membership and ensure he’d get 5-10 starts the next season.

(PGA.com)

Why Phil Is The People's Champ

'Bones' Mackay story from 2004 Masters is classic Phil Mickelson

Mickelson had just won the Masters for his first major victory and had a bunch of obligations shortly after the round. Interviews, press conferences, dinner with the members, etc.
Bones, who doesn’t consider his job finished until he’s loaded the clubs into the car and said goodbye to Phil, hung out in the Augusta National parking lot and waited.

“There we are, he’s won the Masters, it’s 6:30 on a Sunday evening and I don’t see this guy for like three or four hours,” Mackay said. “So I’m sitting in this parking lot or near it outside the Augusta National clubhouse and it must have been 10 o’clock. I look out to his car and I see some figures, it’s pitch dark out there, and it’s Phil and these two or three other people around him.”

Bones doesn’t recognize the others, which is weird since he’d been Mickelson’s caddie for more than a decade at the time and knew pretty much everyone in his life.

“So I walk up there to kind of help with packing the bag, and as I walk up to him I see these guys are hugging Phil,” Mackay said. “They’re not just hugging him, it’s like an emotional hug. … I’m like, ‘Man, who are these guys hugging Phil?'”

“It turns out these are the guys that work in the lower locker room at Augusta National (that) Phil’s been tipping all these years and taking such good care of,” Mackay said. “Now that Phil’s won the Masters he’s going to the champions locker room and these guys are losing him forever and they’re just devastated. So they’re hugging it out in the parking lot and I thought, ‘That’s really cool.'”

Phil, man.

(GolfWeek.com)

R.I.P. - Arnold Palmer

(Golf.com)

How Many Of You Remember This Moment In Golf History

Tiger Woods’ comeback at Silverado would be return to scene of his NCAA ‘crime’

Tiger Woods has history at the Silverado Resort in Napa, Calif., site of the Safeway Open at which he hopes to launch his comeback next month.

On Oct. 3, 1995, Woods, a Stanford sophomore, drove up to Silverado to meet with Arnold Palmer, who was there to play in the Transamerica, a Senior PGA Tour event. Woods said at the time that he went seeking advice from Palmer on dealing with the attention he would be facing in the future.

They had dinner and Palmer picked up the tab. Oops. When word got out, a brief investigation followed and Woods was suspended for a violation of NCAA rules that prohibited an athlete for receiving a benefit based on his athletic status or reputation. Woods was angry.

“I felt that I hadn’t don’t anything wrong,” he said, reiterating that he had had dinner with a friend. “For that I’m told I’m going to be declared ineligible.”

Woods was en route to El Paso, Texas, for a college tournament, the Savane College All-America Golf Classic, at the time and said he was uncertain whether he would be permitted to play. The NCAA quickly concluded the infraction had been inadvertent and minor, the suspension lasted only a day, and he was permitted to play.

Tiger, meanwhile, was required to reimburse Palmer for the cost of his meal and said he sent him a check for $25. He also said the incident might influence his decision on whether to turn professional following his sophomore year. “I don’t need this,” he said. “It’s annoying.”

(GolfDigest.com)

Lefty Adding To His Lore

Phil Beats Ryder Cup Teammates in Closest to Pin With Righty Wedge

Phil Mickelson won a closest-to-the-pin contest on Wednesday.

But that's not all. The competition was in Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots, and Mickelson won with a right-handed wedge. Remember, this is the guy known as "Lefty."

Mickelson and his seven Ryder Cup teammates put on Patriots jerseys and hung out on the field on Wednesday, as he and the rest of the crew bonded off the course as they prepare for the first round of the Deutsche Bank Championship, just outside of Boston, on Friday. And, just for fun, a hole was set up 78 yards away on the field, and players took aim using captain Davis Love's wedge.

Mickelson stuck his shot four feet away from the hole.

Lefty talked about the shot on Thursday, and he made sure his Ryder Cup teammates remembered who won.

(Golf.com)

He's Methodical

The Awesome Story Behind How Tiger Woods Marks His Ball

Here's a bit of Tiger Woods trivia you might have never heard: The 14-time major winner always marks his ball with the coin heads up.

The habit dates back 20 years to an admirable act of sportsmanship by a then-19-year-old amateur named Steve Scott.

Woods and Scott went toe-to-toe in an epic duel in the final of the 1996 U.S. Amateur. Woods, the rising star and reigning two-time U.S. Am champ, needed to beat the unknown Scott to win his third straight title.
Scott was 2 up on Woods with three to play, and while putting on the 16th -- the 34th hole of their match -- Scott asked Woods to re-mark his ball to the side of his original mark so it wouldn't be in Scott's line. Woods did, but after Scott putted he noticed that Woods had not moved his ball back to its original location.

If Woods would have putted without moving his ball back, he would have been penalized with a loss of the hole, thereby losing the match to Scott. But Scott had no interest in winning on a rules technicality. He quickly alerted Woods, who moved his marker back to its orginal position. Woods then made the birdie putt, won the hole and later the match -- the preface to what would become a historic professional career.

"I did forget (to move my ball back)," Woods said. "For him to (remind me) was pretty remarkable. Ever since that one moment I always mark my marker heads up, and if I ever move my coin or someone asks me to move it, I always move it to tails, so when I look down at my ball if it's showing tails, that means I moved it. That's true sportsmanship (what Scott did). A testament to what the game of golf is all about."

(Golf.com)

May He Remain The Only 1 Ever To Do This

SPRINGFIELD, N.J. -- The par-5 17th at Baltusrol Golf Club is a terror. It measures 650-plus yards and only one pro, John Daly during the 1993 PGA Championship, has hit the green in two shots during a tournament. Others have tried — GOLF.com camped at the 17th on Tuesday to see how the pros are playing it — but with no luck.

(Golf.com)

An The Winner Is . . . . .

PGA Championship: Byeong Hun An hits 347-yard drive to win Long Drive Competition

Byeong Hun An’s 347-yard drive on Hole No. 1 of the Lower Course of Baltusrol Golf Club rolled past both Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy (345 yards) and Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts (341 yards), to capture the 2016 Long Drive Competition at the 98th PGA Championship.

An’s tee shot was the longest drive in this competition since Andy Franks’ 346-yard drive in 1982, at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  

(PGA.com)

I Don't Know What Does This Prove?

Nine interesting things to know ahead of the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont 

The longest par-3, most Opens hosted and highest combined winning score in Oakmont history are just some unique quirks for the second major of 2016

5. Oakmont contains the longest par 3 in U.S. Open history.

• The par-3 8th played to 261, 279, 281 and 300 yards during the four rounds of the tournament in 2007. Those are four of the five longest distances in par-3 U.S. Open history, including the three longest. It will play at most 288 yards this year. Jordan Spieth hit a 3-wood at the hole during his practice round on Sunday. A 3-wood! Into a par-3.

Complete list (CBSSports.com)

There Will Never Be Another Tiger Woods, Here's 7 Stats Why

7 Stats That Prove It's Premature to Compare Jason Day to Tiger

15

• That's the number of Woods's missed cuts. No, not this year. In his career. Day missed 16 cuts in 2008 alone. Yeah, he was a rookie then, but Tiger was one of those once as well.

24

• When Tiger owns a tournament, he owns a tournament. Woods has defended a title 24 times. Day has 10 total wins and has never successfully defended a title.

52

• Remember peak Woods? He posted 52 straight rounds of par or better from 2000-'01. Day's best stretch to date is 22 rounds, which he accomplished at the end of 2015 between the Open Championship and the third round at the Deutsche Bank Championship. 

Complete list (Golf.com)

I'm Sure They Had No Problems Selling This Package

Here's what a $5,000 ticket can fetch you at the Players

A shiny new hospitality ticket called The Players Club provides a “super premium” experience not previously available during tournament week at TPC Sawgrass. Among the accouterments at one’s disposal inside the 70,000-square-foot clubhouse are an endless array of five-star food from chefs flown in for this week, bottomless adult beverages, access to manicurists and concierges, a $500 merchandise credit and Q&As with anyone from commissioner Tim Finchem (or former commissioner Deane Beman), to NBC analyst Gary Koch, to one of the tour’s rules officials. All it will cost you for the week is a cool $5,000.

It is also another example of the PGA Tour’s flagship event attempting to replicate the gold-standard of hospitality experiences in golf, the Masters, which in 2013 unveiled golf’s snazziest VIP treatment for the well-heeled and connected, Berckmans Place.

(GolfDigest.com)

A Quick 9 Around The Island Green That Is 17

9 Numbers to Know About the Par-3 17th Island Green at TPC Sawgrass

12

• The highest score ever recorded on the treacherous par-3 17th at TPC Sawgrass during the Players Championship. This unfortunate honor was awarded to Bob Tway in 2005. Tway, who was 7-under and four shots off the lead when he reached the 17th during his third round, dropped four balls into the water before he 3-putted for a 12. He was in 10th place before he played the hole. His third-round 80 steered him to a T56 finish.

6

• Aces hit on the 17th hole during the Players. The list includes Brad Fabel (1986), Brian Claar (1991), Fred Couples (1997), Joey Sindelar (1999), Paul Azinger (2000) and Miguel Angel Jimenez (2002).

26

• Yards, approximately, the green measures across. A peninsula on the back side of it is used as a walkway. There's one small pot bunker that sits in front of the green.

Complete list (Golf.com)

A Smidget Into The Life Of Dr. No

Superagent Mark Steinberg Brings Money In, Keeps Distractions Out

Dr. No said yes.

Mark Steinberg, superagent, who earned his press-tent nickname by routinely telling reporters no, said he would call at 3 p.m., and here he was, right on time.

People in the golf business will tell you that Tiger's "Steiny" is effective at his job, relentless and hardworking. He has become, by virtue of his relationship with Woods, one of the most powerful people in the game. Since leaving IMG and joining Excel Sports Management five years ago, he has signed Matt Kuchar and Justin Rose, two of the game's gents, and young Justin Thomas, who was being courted by the world. "My wife was a little apprehensive about it at first," Kuchar told me about his move to Excel. Sybi Kuchar knew all about Steinberg's take-no-prisoners reputation. "But he has completely won her over."

(Golf.com)

Golf Pros Are Human, Here's Proof

Watch Charley Hoffman hit a total duff off the tee -- and laugh

Maybe you played golf on Saturday. If you did, you probably hit some shots you're not proud of. But you definitely didn't have millions of people watching.

Such is life for PGA Tour pros, who contrary to popular belief, are susceptible on occasion to the kinds of shots that you're used to seeing in your weekend foursome. And in the third round of the Valero Texas Open, Charley Hoffman, fell victim to such a rare awful swing on the sixth tee while being only one shot out of the lead. Check it out -- and feel a bit better about your own game:

Video link (GolfDigest.com)

Happy 50th, John!

Happy 50th birthday, John Daly, and thanks for these memories

2. To reach the unreachable green

• Daly's grip-it-and-rip-it style and 300-plus-yard drives have always been a huge part of his fame. But it also seems to leave him a little conflicted: Does he like being known as the man who smashes the ball farther than anyone else, or does padding his career total of five PGA Tour wins come first? When Daly arrived at the 1993 U.S. Open at Baltusrol, he was keenly aware no golfer had ever reached the green of the 630-yard, uphill 17th hole in two shots. "That's the only goal I had this week," Daly told the New York Times after the second round, in which he smoked a 325-yard tee shot, then pulled a 1-iron from his bag and drilled a shot that bounced past the cup before coming to rest on the green. Mission accomplished. "I told my caddy, Greg Rita, 'We may not play good, but at least we'll make history,' " Daly said.

Complete list (ESPN.com)

The Definitive Ranking of John Daly's 50 Greatest, Gaudiest and Grisliest Moments

18

• Some people kiss and tell. Others heavy-pet, then publish, as in Daly's 2006 memoir "My Life In and Out of the Rough," which includes bedroom scene that would make Christian Grey blush.

46

• In 1979, young John's brood moves to Virginia, where as a 13-year-old he won the men's club championship at his home course, Lake of the Woods Country Club, in Fredericksburg. His victory inspired a new Lake of the Woods rule: No kids allowed in the tournament.

Complete list (Golf.com)

Augusta National's Food Options Go Above & Beyond The Pimento Cheese Sandwich

A First-Timer’s Review of the Food at The Masters

• The world-famous Pimento Cheese Sandwich
• Bar-B-Que Sandwich
• Ham and Cheese on Rye
• Masters Club Sandwich
• Classic Chicken Sandwich
• Masters Mini Moonpies

Reviews (GolfWRX.com)